A by-election was held for the United Kingdom parliament constituency of Wirral South, in Merseyside, England, on 27 February 1997. The seat became vacant on the death of Conservative Party Member of Parliament Barry Porter, and was won by Labour's Ben Chapman.
The Conservative loss in this seat, which came close to the last possible date for a general election, meant that they no longer had a majority in the House of Commons.[1] Wirral South was the last in a run of significant Conservative losses, following a period of dissatisfaction with the Major years. This was the last Conservative loss to Labour in a by-election until the 2012 Corby by-election. Labour has held this seat since the by-election.
Result
Wirral South by-election, 1997[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | Ben Chapman | 22,767 | 52.6 | +18.0 |
| Conservative | Leslie Byrom | 14,879 | 34.4 | −16.5 |
| Liberal Democrats | Flo Clucas | 4,357 | 10.1 | −3.0 |
| UKIP | Richard North | 410 | 0.9 | New |
| Independent | Harold Bence | 184 | 0.4 | New |
| Socialist Labour | Michael Cullen | 156 | 0.4 | New |
| Disillusioned Conservative | Phillip Gott | 148 | 0.3 | New |
| Independent | Roger Taylor | 132 | 0.3 | New |
| Independent - anti tobacco donation | Anthony Samuelson | 124 | 0.3 | New |
| Natural Law | Geoffery Mead | 52 | 0.1 | −0.2 |
| 21st Century Foresters | Colin Palmer | 44 | 0.1 | New |
| Independent - Thalidomide Action Group | Frederick Astbury | 40 | 0.1 | New |
Majority | 7,888 | 18.2 | N/A |
Turnout | 43,293 | 71.5 | −10.8 |
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +17.25 | |
Previous result
Notes
- ^ "How the Government's Majority Disappeared". Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- ^ Boothroyd, David. "Results of Byelections in the 1992-97 Parliament". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 20 July 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
External links
- British Parliamentary By Elections: Campaign literature from the by-election
See also
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1997 | |
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Books | - John Major: The Autobiography (1999)
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